I witnessed a retail employee being absolutely vile to an elderly man today

[Greenfinc]

This afternoon in a small branch of Lidl at the self service checkouts. Nobody was on the actual tills so no option to use them instead.

An elderly man needed some help scanning his shopping and was explaining to the employee overseeing the checkouts that he was partially sighted and was struggling to find the bar codes.

The employee was absolutely horrible to him saying being partially sighted doesn't mean he can't see and that there's a difference between being partially sighted and blind. Her attitude was vile.

She begrudgingly scanned his remaining items, as though he'd asked her to pay for them herself, and as he was collecting his change from the machine she sarcastically said "oh you managed to see that well enough did you"

I asked him if he needed any help and if he was ok and he explained that he'd had two surgeries on his eyes and couldn't see very well, and that he was only able to get about to the shop on his own as he knew and was used to it but struggled with the bar codes.

I told him I'd heard everything that woman had said to him and that I'm going to contact the head office about her and report exactly what I'd heard. He said he didn't want to make a fuss and that she was clearly just looking for an argument.

WIBU to report her to her employer regardless? I feel really sad about it and don't think somebody like that should be in a customer facing role working with members of the public. Horrible bully.

Absolutely vile behaviour, 100% report. This gentleman may have been able to shrug it off but the next person she treats so horribly may not.

Yes, report her. She could do the same sort of thing to others if you don't.

These nasty and often incompetent employees need to be reported!
In last few years I've called main office customer service on creeps at Tesco, a Co-op woman who had zero knowledge of the laws, Poundland worker following me around like I was a criminal and poking at me(!), and a stupid Iceland security guard accusing me of not paying for something just because I temporarily stuck a box of washing powder in kids seat of trolley AFTER I'd finished my self service transaction! 🤬

That Co-op woman was forced to apologize to me. Didn't see most of the others again.

Some shops do seem to be employ too many dimwitted numpties these days & it seems to be getting worse.

Get on the phone and complain, otherwise they'll never get shot of these bad apples.

What? This is disgusting and completely unacceptable. They are trained to be professional and helpful so wtf! Imagining this was my parents I would complain. Not a complainer at all but this would rile me and i would have to say something to the person

Thank you, OP. 💐

Our little Asda had a refit to self service tills. Now elderly, partially sighted, and anyone with a trolley full of shopping really struggled with the little shelf provided to put your goods on after scanning. I was so angry I went on twitter and our local FB group. I ended up on the radio BBC.

They reinstated one till. I often have a trolley full so go to the till put everything on the conveyor belt and wait. Someone turns up to put it through. I get a few queuing behind me.

There's an Aldi in London that you can only shop in with a QR CODE. that's concerning

I would definately report her. Totally unacceptable way to treat a struggling elderly person

This happened to my elderly mum in Tesco's a few years ago. We had gone in together but had separate baskets. She got to the self service checkouts ahead of me and didn't see me queuing up a few places behind her. When it was her turn she asked the young employee if he would be able to show her how to use it. He looked at her and said no, and that she would have to go to the manned basket only checkout for which there was a really long queue. My mum just looked so flustered and didn't know what to do, so I said in a loud voice it's ok mum I will show you how to use it. He looked really sheepish then. I complained to a manager about him and he was always really helpful after that.

Well done for calling her out

as for posting her photo on Twatter, what were you thinking? Two wrongs dont make a right! Jeez! She may be nasty but she doesn’t deserve that

That's disgusting!! That poor bloke.

Yes - report - how that poor man must have felt - would have been so easy to make his day instead

That’s awful. Well done for checking on the man afterwards, I’m sure he appreciated that. Personally I would go back to the store and ask to speak to the Manager in person.

@Greenfinc
Very well done 💐

For anybody who hasn't seen my updates I've now reported the employee in three separate ways. Hopefully one does the trick.

The Lidl website (their customer services route)

On twitter, so the public can see it.

And finally to the CEO of Lidl himself via email

Good for you! ❤

Well done !! Hopefully she gets the sack - vile excuse for a human
Id have posted the pic on twitter as you did. Sod her - she doesn't deserve any compassion

Definitely report her, but I would have said something at the time. There is absolutely never any excuse to treat someone like that. I would also have told her that I would be reporting her.

Report her. What a miserable bitch. Don't let it slide.

I’ve just come across this thread. Well done. You’re a star!

100% report this, absolutely disgusting treatment of a vulnerable customer. She shouldn’t be in that role

I'm so glad you reported her, OP. Your story makes me so angry. My mother is blind and also only goes to the shop closest to her as she can get there by herself with only a small amount of risk. She too relies on staff to help her find the items she needs and pay for them. (Although she has had the opposite problem - the floor staff have been kind and patient and helpful and were shouted at and threatened by their manager for "wasting time" helping her.)

I also think you did the right thing by engaging with the gentleman, and asking if he needed help, rather than potentially escalating the situation further by getting into an argument with the staff member. I don't think many people with young children would have wanted to get involved in an argument in front of them and your children will have seen you do the right thing by offering help when it was needed.

Report her. I worked as a nurse for sight loss charities for years. This type of attitude needs to be eradicated asap. In the past I’ve reported bus drivers, restaurant owners, waiters, taxi drivers. Non lost their jobs, all were retrained. Bullies don’t need the opportunity to pick on elderly or disabled people and get paid for doing it!

‘I know it's Lidl so you have to make allowances for the attitude of the staff’

Is this a Lidl thing?

Mind you, I was treated to a barrage of expletives by the chilled dairy section in a Waitrose last week, not to or about me but men in general. One of the protagonists was so like Gemma Collins, I did wonder if it was her. I am surprised to hear staff discuss their sex lives on the shop floor let alone in the hallowed halls of Waitrose 😉.

Over the years, in various places, with and without my dc’s and dp, I have been on the receiving end of some really abusive, discriminatory behaviour.

Thank you for standing up for those of us who can’t (sometimes in more ways than one).

My jaw literally dropped reading this. Report the tw*t.